Shoe form



Oct. 29, 1929. I w '35 w T 1,733,949

SHOE FORM Filed April 25, 1929 Patented Get. 29, 1929 WILLIAM J. m WITT, or AUBURN, NEW Yonx, asses-'s T0 snon FORM 00., inc

. (or AUBURN, new YORK, A CORPORATION or nnwxonx 7 SHOE FORM Application filed April 25',

This invention relates to an improvement in a shoe form and more particularly in a shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material and a cross bar connecting the walls of such member. It is particularly desirable in such shoe forms that means be provided whereby the walls of themembers may be expanded or contracted in order to increase or decrease the width of the member.

Theobject of the present invention is to provide a shoe form in which such increase or decrease in width of the toe member maybe quickly and easily attained vand in which,

furthermore, the member will be held in the contracted position but be capable of being expanded to the desired width while the form iseither within or outside the shoe. '4

Two of the embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which. i

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one type of shoe form embodying this invention, the parts bengshown by full lines in the contracted position and by dotted lines in the expanded position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of another type of shoe form embodying this invention, the parts being shown by full and dotted lines in the contracted and expanded conditions; and

illustrated in Fig.1 taken alongthe line33 thereof. v r

. The shoe form to whichthis invention is directed comprises a toemember 10 and a cross bar 11. The member 10 is hollowjn conformation as shown particularly in Fig. 3 being made of thin resilient material such as, for example, sheet celluloid and comprising an outer wall 15 and aninner wall 16. Each wall has at the bottom an inwardly projecting flange, indicated on the drawing as 17 and 18 respectively and in, the flange 17 of the-outer wall 15 is formed a slot 19 curved or arcuate as shown in Fig. 1.

The crossbar 11 is pivotally secured inter-. mediate its length to the flange 18 in any suitable way as by a rivet 20. The end 21 of the cross baris attached toa button 22 which extends through the slot 19, the ends of the button 22 being expanded at 23, 24 so that the Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the shoe form M l v will not therefore be described in detail, the

numerals used in the description of the Fig,

1929. Serial No. 357,946.

bearing against the wall 16, normally acts-to hold the end 21 of the cross bar inthe full line position shown in Fig.1, the button 22 being at the rearward endof the slot 19. When the cross bar 11 is forced forward into the toe member 10 turning on its pivot 20, the button 22 traveling in the slot 19 reduces the width of the toemember so that when the button 22 is at the otherend of the slot the walls of the toe member are contracted as shown on dotted lines; 7 l I In using this shoe form the cross bar is first manipulated to bring the toem ember into the contractedposition'shown on dotted lines and the "form is then inserted into the "shoe and allowed to expand to the limit set by the walls of the shoe. The end 25 of the cross bar nor: mally tends to carry the cross bar back into the full line position, in which the member is fully expanded, thus insuring that the toe of the shoe is held plumpe'd out to its proper condition an-dgiving to it the appearance it will assume, when on the foot of the wearer.

The type shown in Fig. 2 is "similar and parts of the figure embodiment beingindicated by numerals which are primes of the 1 embodiment. It will benoted, however, that 853 the end 25 of the cross bar 11 extends rearwardly from the rivet 20fto'which the cross 7 bar is pivotally secured and consequently that the button22 will normally be .held by the cross bar 11 at the forward end'of the slot 19'. The various elements of the Fig. 2 embodi: ment function in the same manner as the corresponding elements ofthe Fig. 1 embodiv ment and itis believed that there isno necessity of describing such actions in detail. It will be noted, however, thatthe crossbar 11', travels rearwardly to contract the member 10 and'con'sequently when thetoe member 10 is removed'from the shoe thelexertighb'fi a pull'upon the cross bar 11", either manually I cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall or by means of a suitable tool or by means of a back stay which is commonly used in shoe formsof this type, will draw the cross bar back thus contracting the walls of the toe member 10.

While two embodiments have been shown and described these embodiments were selected for the purpose of illustration only and ap licant is not limited thereto since other em odiinents might be made without departing from the spirit and scope as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material, a cross bar connecting the walls of the toe member, said cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall and slidably attached to the other wall so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and means normally acting to hold the cross bar in the position in which the walls are expanded.

2. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material, a crossbar con necting the walls of the toe member, said cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall and'slidably attached to the other wall so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and means normally acting to hold the cross bar in one of said positions and being yieldable to permit the cross bar to take the other position.

,7 3. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material, a cross bar connecting the walls of the toe member, said cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall 7 and slidably attached to the other wall so thatin one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and an extension of said cross bar bearing against one wall of the toe member to hold the crossbar normally in one of said positions.

4. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material, a cross bar connecting the walls of the toe member, said cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall.

and slidably attached tothe other wall so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and an extension of said cross bar bearing against one Wall of the toe member to hold the cross bar normally 'in' the position in which the walls are expanded. V

5. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe. member of resilient material, a cross bar connecting the walls of the toe member, said and slidably attached to the other wall so that in one position ofthe'cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the vwalls are contractedand an extension of the pivoted portion of said cross bar bearing against one wall of the toe member to hold the cross bar normally in one of said positions,

6. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material, a cross bar connecting the walls of the toe member, said cross bar being pivotally attached to one wall and slidably attached to the other wall so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and an extension of the pivoted portion of said cross bar bearing against one wall of the toe member to hold the cross bar normally in the position in which the walls are expanded.

7. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges havinga slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange and having a slidable engagement with the slot in the other flange of the toe member so that in one posi' tion of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are contracted and means normally acting to hold the cross bar in that position in which the walls are expanded.

8. A shoe form comprising a hollowtoe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot, therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the 'unslotted flange vand having a slidable engagement with the slot in the other flange of the toe member so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded-and in an other position thereof the walls are cons tracted and means normally acting to hold the cross bar in one of said posit-ions and being yieldableto permit the cross bar to take the other position. I

9. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of-resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot therein, acrossbar pivotally attached to the, unslotted flange andhaving-a slidable engagement with the slot in the other flange of the toemember so that in one position of the cross bar the walls are expanded and in another position thereof the walls are, contractedand an extension of the pivoted portion of said cross baract-ing normally to. hold the cross bar in one of said positions and; being yieldable to permit the cross bar to take the other position.

10. A shoe form comprising a hollowitoe:

portion of said cross bar bearing against the wall of the toe member and acting normally to hold the cross bar in that position in which the walls are expanded.

11. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a. slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange, a button in said slot to which button one end of the cross bar is secured and means associated with said cross bar for holding the button normally at one end of said slot.

12. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange, a button in said slot to which button one end of the cross bar is secured and yielding means associated with said cross bar for holding the button normally at one end of said slot whereby the walls of the toe member are expanded and for resisting the movement of the button in the slot by which the walls of the toe member Would be contracted.

13. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange, a button in said slot to which button one end of the cross bar is secured and an extension of the pivoted portion of the cross bar acting upon the cross bar to hold the button normally at one end of the slot.-

14. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange, a button in said slot to which button one end of the cross bar is secured and an extension of the pivoted portion of the cross bar bearing against one wall of the toe member and acting upon the cross bfiuto hold the button normally at one end of t e slot.

15. A shoe form comprising a hollow toe member of resilient material having flanges on the walls thereof, one of said flanges having a slot therein, a cross bar pivotally attached to the unslotted flange, a button in said slot to which button one end of the cross bar is secured and an extension of the pivoted portion of the cross bar bearing against one wall of the toe member, said extension acting upon the cross bar to hold the button normally at one end ofthe slot whereby the walls of the toe member are expanded and yieldingly resisting the movement of the button in the slot by which the walls of the toe member would be contracted.

Signed by meat Auburn, N. Y., this 18th day of April, 1929.

WILLIAM J. DE WITT. 

